Burns Taking Place At Va. Army Base Cause Odor In Maryland

BOWLING GREEN, Va. (AP) — Prescribed burns are taking place at Fort A.P. Hill and causing an odor as far away as Maryland.

The burns began earlier this month at the Army base in Caroline County and will continue through the end of the month.

Officials say the burns are done to eliminate the undergrowth in the forest and prevent larger woodland fires. When the burning is done, breezes can carry smoke, and sometimes ashes, to surrounding areas.

The Free Lance-Star reports that the burns have not only irritated people near the installation, but in places like Fredericksburg and Stafford County.

On Friday, a spokesman for Anne Arundel County Fire Department in Maryland said the fire prompted several calls from residents about the odor of smoke in that area.